About becoming Catholic

You have no need to explore further on your own but if you prefer to do some of your own research first there is information on our Faith available. If you wish to get some initial information yourself feel free to purchase a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the official summary of our Faith, available at most major bookstores, or you can view it online in full or as a Compendium from the Vatican Resource Library.

Feel free to contact our Parish Office to get started and arrange to meet with our Pastor (Fr. Daryold Winkler) or get in contact with volunteers that will explain more about the process.

Some have asked,  “What is Christian Initiation?” It is the way we journey in faith with a man or woman when they come inquiring or seeking Baptism.

 The Church asks  that we are to give them a community of faith to journey with them- you and me!! The initial contact would be the Parish Office and Fr. Daryold Winkler.

This Christian Initiation process really begins for each person on their own schedule-each person’s journey is based on God’s time and grace. 

During the first period of Evangelization or the Precatechumenate, the inquirer will meet with a number of parishioners informally sharing faith in  different ways- perhaps over a cup of coffee in homes, out for a walk or perhaps even in the workplace. During this time the inquirer is introduced to others in the community and is invited to participate in parish activities. 

When the inquirer feels ready to meet the assembly, he or she is introduced to us by a parish sponsor at the Sunday Eucharist, in the Rite of becoming a Catechumen. Here we have the opportunity as a parish to welcome them and to know them by name. 

During this Catechumenate period, these catechumens will join us each Sunday and then we send them with a catechist from the assembly after the Liturgy of the Word to continue to reflect on this Word while we celebrate the Eucharist.

This Catechumenate period can take as long as 1 or 2 years. When their faith has matured and they are ready to be disciples they move into the period of the Enlightenment and Purification. This final period of preparation for the sacraments of Initiation takes place during Lent and culminates in the celebration of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

After the Easter Vigil they move into the Easter season with us; they are now a new creation! They stand with us for the entire Eucharist and join us at the table to eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ. This period is like a honeymoon ; it is called the Mystagogia- a time when they discover in a new way what discipleship means having been fed at the Table of the Eucharist with us. 

Their formation in faith happens for the most part at and during the Sunday Eucharist. Part of our responsibility is to greet them , support them in prayer, invite them into the various ways we respond to our baptism call by caring for the sick, feeding the hungry, engaging in various parish ministries and supporting those in need. Possibly the principal way we support them as a community, however, is participating fully and consciously at the Sunday Eucharist with them.
This same process is used with children who have reached catechetical  age and would be adapted to their level of maturity.


So we see, Christian Initiation is truly a whole community reponsibility. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so too, it takes a community of faith to bring about Christian initiation. We are called to provide them with many opportunities during their apprenticeship so that they may become involved in and witness what parish life is all about-and how we as the Baptized live our Christian way of life.
This is our call to discipleship- the call of all the baptized. Will we be ready to answer to this commitment?